The Books of 2006

I think I can safely say that I won’t be reading any more books this year. I thought I’d read 52 books this year, but it turns out that all this time I’ve been counting one of the books that I’d abandoned. So I’ve only read 51. And I’m OK with that.

Next year, I’d like to read more slowly, more carefully. I’ve been reading too quickly to absorb anything. So my goal for 2007 is to read fewer books.

  1. “The Big Nap” by Ayelet Waldman. Jan. 10
  2. “Playdate with Death” by Ayelet Waldman. Jan. 10-12
  3. “Death Gets a Timeout” by Ayelet Waldman. Jan. 13-?
  4. “The Cradle Robbers” by Ayelet Waldman. Jan. ?-18
  5. Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson. Jan 18-26
  6. “Housekeeping” by Marilynne Robinson. Jan 30-Feb. 4
  7. The Corrections” by Jonathan Franzen. Feb. 6-17
  8. The Quiet American” by Graham Greene. Feb 25-March 1
  9. Travels with Charley” by John Steinbeck. March 7-27

    The Fortress of Solitude” by Jonathan Lethem. started March 27, abandoned March 30

  10. Peace Like a River” by Leif Engler. March 30-April 2
  11. Charming Billy” by Alice McDermott. April 3-4
  12. The Language of Baklava” by Diana Abu-Jabar. no dates listed
  13. “While I Was Gone” by Sue Miller. April 7-11
  14. Good Omens” by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. April 15-18
  15. “The Known World” by Edward P. Jones. April 18-?
  16. “Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell. no dates listed
  17. “March” by Geraldine Brooks. no dates listed
  18. The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. ?-May 10
  19. The Year of Magical Thinking” by Joan Didion. May 10-16
  20. Atonement” by Ian McEwan. May 16-?
  21. The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. June 7-10
  22. Devil in the Details” by Jennifer Traig. June 13-?
  23. The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown. July 5-6
  24. To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. July 8-9
  25. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by Ken Kesey. July 13-15
  26. Tishomingo Blues” by Elmore Leonard. July 17-18
  27. Marley & Me” by John Grogan. July 18-19
  28. Monkeys, Go Home!” adapted by Mel Cebulash. July 23
  29. Carry On, Jeeves” by P.G. Wodehouse. July 25-?
  30. Watership Down” by Richard Adams. near Aug. 7-11

    McSweeney’s Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales

  31. Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer. Aug. 29-30
  32. Fer-de-Lance” by Rex Stout.
    no dates listed
  33. The Mother Hunt” by Rex Stout. Sept. 9-12
  34. Black Orchids” by Rex Stout. Sept. 12-13
  35. Might As Well Be Dead” by Rex Stout. Sept. 14-16
  36. Saints at the River” by Ron Rash. Sept. 18-19

    The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana” by Umberto Eco. started Oct. 10

    Drowning in Gruel by George Singleton. started Oct. 15

  37. Manhunt: The 12-Day Search for Lincoln’s Killer” by James L. Swanson. Oct. 22-Nov. 8
  38. The King of Lies” by John Hart. Nov. 6-10
  39. Stripped” by Bryan Freeman. Nov. 10-12
  40. The Road” by Cormac McCarthy. Nov. 11-?
  41. The Keep” by Jennifer Egan. Nov. 16-17

    Now is the Hour” by Tom Spanbauer

  42. The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists” by Gideon Defoe. Nov. 20-21

    Until I Find You” by John Irving. started Nov. 22

  43. “The Pirates! In an Adventure with Ahab” by Gideon Defoe. Nov. 26
  44. What Now, King Lear?” by Alistair Boyle. Nov. 26-Dec. 3
  45. The Inheritance of Loss” by Kiran Desai. Dec. 3-5
  46. Life of Pi” by Yann Martel. Dec. 5-6
  47. The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” by Kim Edwards. Dec. 6-7
  48. The Mermaid Chair” by Sue Monk Kidd. Dec. 7-8
  49. The Human Factor” by Pete Greene. Dec. 8-11
  50. “Some Buried Caesar” by Rex Stout. Dec. 14-30

    The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters” by Gordon Dahlquist. started Dec. 15

  51. “The BFG” by Roald Dahl. Dec. 28

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Friday Feast No. 124

Appetizer
How do you usually celebrate on New Year’s Eve?

    Most years we stay home and, if we’re feeling particularly festive, we might break open a bottle of bubbly grape juice. I know, we’re totally crazy. This year, though, we’re actually going out to dinner! And then we’ll come home sometime before midnight to toast with the grape juice. We moved back into the Eastern time zone this year, so it’ll be the first time in years that we’ll actually be watching the ball drop at midnight rather than 11pm. I’m actually pretty excited about that.

Soup
Name one thing unexpected that happened to you in 2006.

    Holland. We moved there, and then (a whole week later) we moved back. It wasn’t a fun time.

Salad
Where was your favorite place that you visited in 2006?

    Harbor Island, SC. We had an unexpected vacation at the beach, and it marked the end of a lot of chaos for our family.

Main Course
What resolution is your top priority for 2007?

    I don’t normally make resolutions, and I’m hesitant to call this a “resolution” because it seems like it would be too easy to fall away from if I do that. But I’d like to lose about 40 pounds in 2007.

Dessert
Using just three words, describe 2006.

    Things fall apart. I know that sounds depressing, but a good part of 2006 felt like we were falling apart. Rest easy, though. We’re all better now.

The Friday Feast is a weekly meme intended to “feed your mind by asking thought-provoking, mind-stimulating questions.”

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The Marshmallow Shuffle

1. Even Better Than the Real Thing U2


Guess who’s back!
Originally uploaded by nichole_e.

2. Willy was a Whale Justin Roberts
3. Oliver Galop Blind Tom
4. Milk Kings of Leon
5. The Test Chemical Brothers
6. Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? Culture Club
7. Wait Up Uncle Tupelo
8. Thrasher Neil Young
9. Church Ropeadope Records
10. Winter’s Come and Gone Elizabeth Mitchell
11. Three or Four The New Pornographers
12. Just Like You Roxy Music
13. Mr. Bitterness Soul Coughing
14. When It Started The Strokes
15. This is My Father’s World Amy Grant
16. Pancho Villa Sun Kil Moon
17. Pounding The Doves
18. The Man Comes Around Johnny Cash
19. Particle Man Barenaked Ladies
20. Miss Teen Wordpower The New Pornographers

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